


The One Good Thing

by arysa13



Series: Two Week Challenge - Round Two [7]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 05:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18381569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arysa13/pseuds/arysa13
Summary: Clarke's roommate Echo is the worst, so Clarke expects her boyfriend to be the worst too. Except he's really not.





	The One Good Thing

**Author's Note:**

> oops i didn't finish what i was working on today, but lucky i have this back up that i wrote last weekend. 
> 
> And I'm halfway through the challenge! 
> 
> There's some Echo hate in this, but it's more to do with my feelings on housemates rather than Echo herself.

In hindsight, Clarke probably should have vetted her new housemate more thoroughly. At the time she was kind of desperate. Raven had given her plenty of notice that she was moving out to live with her boyfriend, and Clarke had _tried_ to find someone, for weeks, but the people she liked kept bailing on her. She couldn’t afford to not have a housemate, so when Roan said his cousin was looking for somewhere, two days before the next month’s rent was due, Clarke didn’t bother asking any questions other than, “When can she move in?”

She’s seriously regretting that decision now. It’s not that Echo is a bad housemate. It’s that she’s the worst housemate on the planet. After only two weeks of living with her, Clarke is already going crazy.

The list of things Clarke hates about Echo is endless. For starters, she’s messy. And not the kind of messy where she kicks her shoes off by the door and leaves them there, or lets her clean washing sit on the floor of her room instead of putting it away. No, Echo’s shit is everywhere. Clarke goes to sit on the couch, only to find Echo’s used tissues between the couch cushions. Echo’s dishes are piled up by the sink, the oldest ones from over a week ago. They’re starting to grow mould.

Abby keeps telling Clarke to just do the dishes herself, but Clarke thinks that sets a precedent that she’ll just do Echo’s dishes for her all the time. Her stubbornness outweighs her need for things to be clean.

Clarke had tried to work out a cleaning schedule when Echo first moved in, because she’s had housemates before who just forget that the last time the toilet was cleaned was four months ago. But Echo had just said, “Can you bother me with that later?” When Clarke had tried to bring it up later, Echo had snapped at her, saying she’ll “clean when she feels like it.”

But the lack of cleanliness is just the tip of the iceberg. Echo fancies herself an amateur DJ, and is constantly playing really shit music from her expensive speakers at full volume. Echo calls it “house music” but Clarke doesn’t think it belongs in a house at all, let alone _her_ house. She has a constant headache from listening to the bass thudding through the walls all day and night. It doesn’t matter how many times she asks Echo to turn it down, the next day it’s back, just as loud. Clarke wants to scream.

Then there was the time Echo had a party without telling Clarke first. Not that she needs permission per se, after all, she lives here too. But a heads up would have been nice. Clarke would have found somewhere else to go for the night if she’d known she would have to listen to Echo’s obnoxious friends all night. The next morning there was vomit on the bathroom floor. Which Clarke had to clean up, obviously.

Two days later, Clarke had Raven over, and while they were watching How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Echo came out of her room to tell them to “ _please keep it down, and inform me next time you’re going to have friends over._ ”

Clarke doesn’t think she’s had one single pleasant interaction with Echo. Echo acts like Clarke’s entire existence is an inconvenience to her, as if Clarke wasn’t doing her a huge favour by giving her a place to live. Clarke has taken to just avoiding Echo wherever possible.

Which means getting up before 9am on a Sunday, because even though Echo usually sleeps until after ten, Clarke is not willing to risk running into her in the kitchen. Except when Clarke walks into the kitchen, still half asleep, there’s already someone in there. Only it’s not Echo. It’s a man. A shirtless man. And he’s… doing the dishes?

“Who the hell are you?” Clarke asks. “And what are you doing in my kitchen?”

He turns, pulling his hands from the sink, and Clarke feels like she’s been hit with a steamroller. He’s _hot_. Like really hot. Stomach churning hot. So hot she actually feels winded for a moment.

“Oh, hey,” he smiles, and then suddenly he’s even _hotter_ , and Clarke has never been so aware of her frumpy pyjamas and messy hair. She can feel her neck burning, and she hopes her face isn’t as red as it feels. “I’m Bellamy. Echo’s, uh… friend. And I’m doing dishes. Clearly.”

“Why?” It’s the only thing she can think to say. She says it with a scowl on her face, because even though he’s doing a nice thing, if he’s “friends” with Echo, he must be terrible as well. So she hates him on principle.

“I was bored. Echo’s still asleep. Do you want me to stop?”

Clarke purses her lips. “I don’t care what you do,” she says haughtily, then walks over to the coffee machine. That’s the one good thing about Echo, she brought her fancy coffee maker with her. If Echo ever leaves, Clarke is going to figure out a way she can keep it.

“Have I done something to offend you, princess?” Bellamy asks.

“What?” she snaps, turning back to face him. Where does he get off, calling her princess? He nods to her ratty pink pyjama top. It says _princess_ across the front of it in glittery cursive. Clarke feels her face heating up again. Oh. “My mom bought it for me,” she mutters. She instantly regrets it, seeing the corners of Bellamy’s mouth turn up, clearly amused by her. She scowls. She so doesn’t need some hot guy making fun of her eight thirty in the morning when all she wants is a coffee. She decides she’s going to go out and buy one instead. Hopefully by the time she gets back he’ll be gone.

“Just finish doing your girlfriend’s dishes,” Clarke snaps. She stalks out of the room before he can respond, but she swears she hears him laughing at her as she goes.

 

-

 

Clarke doesn’t expect to see Echo’s “friend” again, but a week later, she gets home from dinner with her mom, only to find Bellamy sprawled across the couch, taking up the whole thing, watching what looks to be Futurama of all things.

“What are you doing here?” Clarke asks him. He looks up and grins at her. Stupid perfect smile. His eyes go all crinkly in the corners. Clarke hates it. Just like she hates all those stupid freckles on his face, and the dimple in his chin, and the little scar above his lip.

“Hey, princess,” he greets her. Clarke rolls her eyes. It doesn’t mean anything that her stomach swoops when he calls her that. He’s just doing it to annoy her. “I’m watching TV.”

“This show is so dumb.”

“Sorry?”

“Are you going to shove over so I can sit down or what?” Clarke says. Bellamy sits up and scoots over. Clarke sits on the couch, as far away from him as possible.

“You really don’t like me, do you?”

“Not really, no.”

“Ouch.”

“Well, you asked.”

“Can I ask _why_ you don’t like me?” He’s still smiling, like he just thinks she’s hilarious. He doesn’t take her seriously at all.

“Well, you are dating Echo. And she’s the worst.”

“Dating is a strong word.”

“Are you not here to take her on a date?”

Bellamy shrugs. “We’re going to a party. You can come if you want.”

Clarke snorts. “No thanks. I’d rather die than go anywhere with Echo.”

“But you live with her.”

“Unfortunately.”

Bellamy laughs at that, and butterflies fill Clarke’s stomach at the sound. She ignores them. She’s not going to develop a crush on her roommate’s boyfriend, no matter how nice his laugh is.

“You might like me if you got to know me, princess,” Bellamy says.

“Can you stop calling me that?” Clarke huffs. “I have a name.”

“Which you never told me.”

Clarke stares at him. “You could’ve asked Echo.”

“Echo and I don’t really talk,” he smirks.

“You could’ve asked me.”

“Seemed weird. Like I should already know.”

“What, like we’ve met before in another life or something?”

Bellamy raises an eyebrow at her. “Do you think we’ve met in another life?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Clarke says quickly.

“So?”

“So what?”

“Are you going to tell me your name? Or do you secretly like being called princess?”

“Clarke.”

“Clarke,” Bellamy repeats. Clarke swears she’s never heard her name said quite like that before. Like he’s tasting every letter on his tongue.  It makes her blush, how intimate it feels to have him say her name. She almost wishes she never told him at all.

 Clarke turns her attention back to the TV. “Have you watched the episode with the dog yet?”

“I can’t watch that episode again. It made me cry the first time.”

“Good call. What about the one where Fry trades hands with the robot devil?”

“You want me to put it on?”

“I mean,” Clarke shrugs. “Whatever.” She pretends she doesn’t notice Bellamy smirking at her. He doesn’t get a chance to change the episode before Echo struts into the room.

“Are you ready?” she asks Bellamy, totally ignoring Clarke’s existence, as per usual. She’s dressed in tight leather pants and a crop top, which she assumes Bellamy will be getting her out of later. For some reason, Clarke feels a twinge of annoyance at the thought of it. “I still have to buy booze on the way.”

“Yeah,” Bellamy says, getting up from the couch and handing Clarke the remote. “Don’t watch it without me,” he says.

“Okay,” Clarke agrees. Bellamy gives her a smile.

“See you later, Clarke.”

 

-

 

Clarke doesn’t hear them get in that night, but when she gets up in the morning, Bellamy is there again, eating toast at the dining table. Clarke makes herself a coffee and sits down opposite him.

“Good morning, Clarke,” he smiles. He always looks so goddamn happy to see her.

“How was the party?” she asks.

“It was fine,” Bellamy shrugs. “Echo’s friends kind of scare me though.”

“Right?”

“One of them was carrying a knife. Who does that?”

“Yikes,” Clarke laughs. “I’m glad you didn’t get stabbed.”

“Oh yeah?” Bellamy says, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I mean, I don’t want anyone to get stabbed,” Clarke says, flustered. “It doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re annoying.”

“Okay,” Bellamy grins.  “So, question. If you hate Echo so much, why are you living with her?”

“I was desperate,” Clarke says. “I’m friends with her cousin. Or I was. Seriously considering disowning him as a friend for suggesting Echo live with me.”

“You could kick her out.”

“But then she might stab me.”

“I see your dilemma.”

“If I could afford to live alone, I’d be out of here in a second. But it also sucks, because I really like this place.”

“It is a nice place,” Bellamy agrees. “Maybe you could just annoy her into moving out.”

“I don’t think it’s possible to be more annoying than Echo.”

“I’m sure I’ve had worse roommates than Echo,” Bellamy says. “Once I had a roommate who removed the handle from my bedroom door because he needed the screws. But he never told me what the screws were for.”

Clarke laughs at that, and Bellamy looks pleased with himself. Clarke ducks her head bashfully. “What do you do, anyway?” Clarke asks. “When you’re not hanging around my house annoying me.”

“I’m a teacher. High school history teacher.”

“A _teacher_? You don’t seem like a teacher.”

“What do teachers seem like?”

“I don’t know… mature.”

“I’ve never met a mature teacher,” Bellamy says. “Trust me, we’re all completely immature. We just fake it for the kids.”

“I should’ve known.”

“What about you? What do you do?”

“I work in an art gallery. Sometimes I do art myself and try to sell it online.”

“Yeah? That’s amazing. Can I see?”

“You’ve already seen. All the art in this house is mine.”

Bellamy actually looks impressed. His eyes flick to the painting on the wall behind her. “You’re really talented.” Clarke tries unsuccessfully not to blush at his words. “Who’s the painting of?”

“Oh. My friend Wells. He made me paint him before he moved to London, so I wouldn’t forget him,” Clarke laughs.

“Maybe you could paint me some time,” Bellamy grins.

“Why? Do you think I’m going to forget you?”

“Are you saying you won’t?”

Clarke shakes her head, trying not to give him the satisfaction of smiling at his dumb joke and his smug face. “You’re so annoying.”

“So you’ve said.”

The two of them eventually move into the living room, and somehow, the conversation never slows. Talking to him is so easy, and before long she feels like she’s told him her whole life story. Clarke doesn’t even notice how long they’ve been talking, until Echo walks out, somehow managing to still look hot, even though she’s clearly hungover, and last night’s make-up is smudged across her face.

“Bellamy, why are you still here?” Echo asks. Clarke looks at the time on her phone. It’s almost lunch time. She’s been talking to Bellamy for three hours.

“Just talking to Clarke.”

Echo stares at him, confused. “Why?”

“Just to annoy her.”

Echo gives him a disparaging look. “No one asked you to stay,” she says. “I’ll see you next weekend.”

“I have to go anyway,” Bellamy says, getting up from where he’s lying on the floor. Clarke doesn’t remember when they migrated from the couch to the floor, but it’s probably time for her to get up and do something with her day too. She does feel sad that Bellamy has to go though. Which is not a good sign. She’s not supposed to get a crush on him.

Echo glares at Clarke after Bellamy is gone. “If you think you can steal him from me, you’re delusional,” she sneers.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Clarke scoffs.

 

-

 

It becomes something of a habit, her weekends with Bellamy. He’ll come over on Saturday night before he and Echo go out, and then he’ll chat to her on Sunday morning until Echo gets up and tells him to leave. Clarke figures he must have it bad for Echo, if he’s willing to stick around despite the way she treats him. She wants to tell him he deserves better, but she also doesn’t want to get involved.

Meanwhile, Clarke has totally failed in her attempt to not get a crush on him. She has trouble even pretending to be annoyed by him now. She just really really likes him. What he sees in Echo, Clarke will never know.

Clarke wakes up one Saturday night to the sound of the door slamming. When she checks the time on her phone, she sees it’s a quarter to one. By the sounds of it, Echo is alone, and angry. The door to her room slams, and then the music is up full blast. Clarke groans. Looks like she won’t be getting back to sleep any time soon.

She must go back to sleep, despite the noise, because the next time she wakes up, an hour later, the house is silent. That is, except for the sound of someone crashing into a wall.

“Whoops.” Clarke recognises Bellamy’s voice. Well, at least they aren’t being robbed.

Her bedroom door opens, and she can vaguely make out Bellamy’s silhouette in the doorway.

“What are you doing?” she says in a loud whisper. Bellamy giggles. He _giggles._ He steps into the room and nearly trips over his own feet. He’s very clearly drunk.

“Sorry,” he says. “The door was open.” He makes his way to the bed and crawls on top of her. Clarke has no idea what’s going on. Does he think she’s Echo?

“Bellamy,” she hisses, shoving him off her. He rolls off her easily, but he keeps one arm slung over her body. She’s trying very hard not to think about how nice that feels.

“Can I sleep here? I lost my phone and my wallet and my keys.”

“You should probably go to Echo’s room,” Clarke says. He doesn’t respond. “Bellamy?” He starts snoring, and Clarke sighs. She has an internal debate with herself about whether to stay or whether to go and sleep on the couch. But it’s _her_ bed, and she’s not going to be kicked out of it, just because she’s scared of what Echo will say. So she stays.

 

-

 

Clarke almost has a heart attack when she wakes up in Bellamy’s arms, until she remembers what happened last night. She watches him sleep for a few minutes, letting herself imagine what it would be like to wake up to him every morning. There’s a twinge in her chest that she can’t ignore. She really went and developed a crush on him. Pathetic. She hears the sounds of Echo banging around, which is strange, because it’s not even 9am yet.

Reluctantly, Clarke removes herself from Bellamy’s embrace, and tiptoes out into the kitchen, where Echo is unplugging the coffee maker.

“I’m taking this with me,” Echo says.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m moving out.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re the worst housemate ever?” Echo sneers, as if it’s obvious.

“ _I’m_ the worst housemate ever?”

“You always leave your paintbrushes in the bathroom sink, you use my coffee maker without asking, and you’re always making noise too early in the morning. Oh yeah, and you stole my boyfriend.”

“I stole your boyfriend?” Clarke chooses to focus on the one thing she can actually refute. Not that she doesn’t want Echo to go. She just doesn’t like the insinuation that _she’s_ the bad housemate.

“I’m not your boyfriend, Echo,” Bellamy says, stepping into the kitchen. He looks like hell. Still gorgeous, but exhausted and hungover.

Echo purses her lips at him. “Whatever. I still told her not to try and steal you from me. And she did anyway. Which is just proven by the fact that you’re here, and you clearly slept in her room.”

“Well I wasn’t about to sleep in your room, after last night. And I lost all my shit so I couldn’t get home.”

“You didn’t lose it, you fucking idiot. I took it.”

“You _took_ it?”

Echo shrugs, as if it’s no big deal. “I was mad.”

Clarke sincerely wishes she weren’t in the middle of this argument. She’d very much like to disappear back into her room and pretend she never heard any of it.

“Fucking hell, Echo,” Bellamy groans.

“Don’t be so dramatic. You can have it back.” Echo stalks out of the kitchen with her coffee maker, and Bellamy follows. Clarke retreats to her room. On one hand, she’s happy that Echo is leaving and she won’t have to live with her anymore. On the other hand, she has to find a new roommate. And also, Bellamy might also believe she was trying to “steal” him from Echo, so that’s awkward.

Clarke hears the front door open and close, and she figures Bellamy must be gone. There’s a knock on her bedroom door. Echo has never knocked on her door before.

“Yes?” Clarke calls warily. The door opens. Bellamy is standing there. “I thought you left,” Clarke says.

“Echo left. She said she’d wait until we were both gone to clear her stuff out.”

“Oh.”

“You must be ecstatic,” Bellamy grins.

“You have no idea,” Clarke says with a laugh. “Although it does mean I’m back at square one on the roommate front.”

“You’ll find someone.”

Clarke hesitates. “Listen, about what Echo said about… me trying to steal you from her. I wasn’t—”

“I know, Clarke,” Bellamy says. He steps into the room and finds a seat beside her on the bed. “I was never hers anyway. Sorry about last night, by the way. I was kind of drunk.”

“I noticed.”

“I can’t believe she stole all my stuff.”

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking. Why’d she get so mad?”

Bellamy rolls his eyes. He looks down at his hand, picking at the sheet beneath him. “She, uh, accused me of only dating her so I could spend time with you.”

Clarke snorts. “God, she’s so paranoid.”

“I mean, she was right.”

“Wait. Really?”

Bellamy shrugs. “What? I think you’re cool.”

“Okay, it’s weird enough that you think I’m cool. But it’s even weirder that you would date Echo _just_ to hang out with me. You could have just asked me to hang out with you.”

“But you think I’m annoying.”

“I don’t think you’re annoying.”

“I knew it,” Bellamy grins.

“Hey, so I kind of need a new roommate. Would you be interested?” Clarke asks him.

Bellamy raises an eyebrow at her. “I don’t know. It might be kind of weird.”

“Oh. That’s okay,” Clarke says. She’s disappointed though. She glances at him. “Why would it be weird though?” After all, Echo is going to be gone. Neither of them have to see her again.

“Because I _hoping_ , since you don’t find me annoying anymore… that you might want to go out with me?”

“Oh.”

“So… will you go out with me?”

“Yes.”

Bellamy’s eyes light up. “Okay. Great. So we should probably leave the moving in until we’ve had at least three dates.”

Clarke laughs. “Probably. But you have to help me find another roommate who isn’t crazy.”

“Well, my sister is looking for a place. But I can’t promise she’s not crazy.”

“Anyone has to be better than Echo, right?”

“Yeah, I think we’re both getting an upgrade.”

Clarke laughs, leaning into him, feeling the warm comfort of his touch. When she looks up, he’s gazing at her, and she feels her stomach flip over. He kisses her, darting in to press his lips against hers, all too brief. Clarke chases him, kissing him properly, deeper, slower. When she pulls away, Bellamy is wearing a dazed expression.

“I’ve been thinking about that everyday since I met you,” he says.

“Me too,” Clarke admits. “You know what we should do for our first date?”

“What’s that?”

“Go and buy a new coffee machine.”  

**Author's Note:**

> main tumblr: keiraknighted  
> fic tumblr: arysafics


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